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Why OM trading is paused: Inside MANTRA’s rebrand, coin upgrade, and exchange suspensions

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MANTRA’s OM token is undergoing a major chain upgrade and rebrand, prompting Coinbase to suspend OM perpetual futures trading.

Posted: February 26, 2026 Avatar

By: Adewale Olarinde Journalist Edited By: Jibin Mathew George Why OM trading is paused: Inside MANTRA’s rebrand, coin upgrade, and exchange suspensions

Why OM trading is paused: Inside MANTRA’s rebrand, coin upgrade, and exchange suspensions

Adewale Olarinde Journalist Edited By: Jibin Mathew George Posted: February 26, 2026 Share this article

Trading in MANTRA’s $OM perpetual futures has been temporarily paused on some platforms. Coinbase Advanced and Coinbase International Exchange are the latest to do so, prompting questions across the market.

While the timing coincides with recent price volatility, the suspension is not the result of a protocol failure or security incident.

Instead, it reflects a planned chain upgrade and token rebrand that has forced derivatives venues to reduce risk exposure.

A planned upgrade, not an emergency halt

MANTRA is in the middle of a governance-approved transition that restructures how its token operates across chains. The upgrade includes:

Migration of OM to MANTRA Chain as the sole canonical network
Retirement of legacy ERC-20 and other wrapped OM versions
A ticker transition from $OM to $MANTRA
A 1:4 redenomination [each OM converts into four MANTRA tokens]
A final execution window scheduled for early March 2026

Because derivatives contracts rely on clear price references, uninterrupted settlement, and consistent underlying assets, exchanges typically pause perpetual futures during events like redenominations or ticker changes. This avoids pricing disputes and contract mismatches.

Why derivatives are affected before spot markets

Perpetual futures are more sensitive than spot trading to structural token changes. During a rebrand:

The reference asset is changing
The denomination basis is shifting
Liquidity can fragment temporarily across venues

Suspending perpetuals is therefore a risk-management decision, not a delisting signal. Spot trading and custody services are often treated separately and may remain live or resume earlier.

What the OM price chart is showing

OM’s price action helps explain the caution from derivatives desks.

The chart shows:

A sharp sell-off beginning in late 2025, followed by a prolonged downtrend
Elevated volume during key drawdowns, suggesting forced unwinds and position resets
A modest rebound in February, but with price still well below prior highs

This pattern is typical of assets undergoing structural transitions, where traders reduce leverage ahead of known upgrade events. As of this writing, OM was trading at around $0.067, with an over 5% increase.

Source: TradingView

The recent bounce reflects short-term positioning rather than confirmation that the upgrade has fully priced in.

Final Summary

OM perp trading pauses are operational risk control ahead of MANTRA’s chain upgrade and token transition.
Liquidity can get choppy around migrations, so exchanges often step back until pricing and settlement are clean again.

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Adewale Olarinde

Adewale Olarinde is a crypto journalist and data-driven storyteller with a Master’s degree in International Relations. He covers digital assets, markets, and policy with a focus on clarity and context. Outside of work, he’s a lifelong Manchester United supporter and a big music lover. More Articles